Mount Group Practice

Updated 13 July 2016

The Mount Group Practice is located in the centre of Doncaster. It has a branch surgery at The Bessacarr Medical Centre, 36 Nostell Place, West Bessacarr, Doncaster, DN4 7JA. The practice provides services for 12,752 patients under the terms of the NHS General Medical Services contract. The practice catchment area is classed as within the group of the fit fth more deprived areas in England. The age profile of the practice population is similar to other GP practices in the Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area. 

The practice has five GP partners, three female and two male and one salaried GP. They are supported by a practice nurse manager, two advanced nurse practitioners, seven practice nurses, two healthcare assistants, a prescribing assistant, a practice manager and a team of reception and administrative staff. 

The practice is open between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday at both locations. Appointments with staff are available at various times throughout the day. E arly morning appointments with GPs are available at the Mount surgery (Thorne Road) from 7am on Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays. Evening appoinpments with GPs are available at the Bessacarr branch surgery from 6.30pm until 8.30pm on Wednesday evenings for working patients and carers who could not attend during normal opening hours. Practice nurses offered appointments for patients during this time on request. In  addition to pre-bookable appointments that could be booked up to six weeks in advance, urgent appointments were also available for people that needed them.

When the practice is closed calls were answered by the out-of-hours service which is accessed via the surgery telephone number or by calling the NHS 111 service. 

Updated 13 July 2016

Letter from the Chief Inspector of General Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at the Mount Group Practice on 26 April 2016. Overall the practice is rated as good.

Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows: 

• There was an open and transparent approach to safety and an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.
• Risks to patients were assessed and well managed.
• Staff assessed patients’ needs and delivered care in line with current evidence based guidance. Staff had been trained to provide them with the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
• Patients said they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect and they were involved in their care and decisions about their treatment.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand. Improvements were made to the quality of care as a result of complaints and concerns.
• Patients said they found it easy to make an appointment with a named GP and there was continuity of care, with urgent appointments available the same day.
• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.
• The provider was aware of and complied with the requirements of the duty of candour.

We saw four areas of outstanding practice:

• The practice had a contract with a local taxi firm, approved for healthcare use by the CCG, to offer paid for transport to those who could not get to the practice by their own means. This was beneficial to patients as more appointments were available at a time convenient to them.
• A GP partner and practice nurse, both with a specialist interest in diabetes management, established a clinic for patients with complex diabetes. In the past two years 23 patients attending the clinic demonstrated an average 25% reduction in the measurement of the the amount of glucose within their plasma blood cells. A reduction in this measurement lowers diabetes risk factors in patients.
• The GPs performed a weekly visit to the three care homes with residents registered at the practice. A recent evaluation of the service demonstrated a reduction in unplanned activity, such as visits to accident and emergency and improved advanced care planning. The prescribing assistant worked closely with the homes to reduce medicine wastage and facilitate the ease of obtaining prescriptions electronically for the residents.
• The practice liaised with a local voluntary service to provide access to healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees. People who used the practice from this service told us the practice was welcoming and treated them as individuals.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP 

Chief Inspector of General Practice

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people with long term conditions.

• Practice nursing staff had lead roles in chronic disease management and patients at risk of hospital admission were identified as a priority.
• Performance for diabetes related indicators was 0.3% below the CCG average and 7% above the national average.  A GP partner and practice nurse both with a specialist interest in diabetes management established a clinic for patients with complex diabetes. In the past two years 23 patients attending the clinic demonstrated an average  25% reduction in  the measurement of the the amount of glucose within their plasma blood cells. A reduction in this measurement lowers diabetes risk factors in patients.
• Longer appointments and home visits were available when needed.
• All these patients had a named GP and a structured annual review to check their health and medicines needs were being met. For those patients with the most complex needs, the named GP worked with relevant health and care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary package of care.

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of families, children and young people.

• There were systems in place to identify and follow up children living in disadvantaged circumstances and who were at risk. For example, children and young people who had a high number of accident and emergency attendances.
• Staff at the practice had identified some immunisation rates were relatively low. A practice nurse would follow up those children who did not attend for routine immunisations and offer appointment times to suit the family or visit the child at home to administer the immunisation.
• Patients told us that children and young people were treated in an age-appropriate way and were recognised as individuals, and we saw evidence to confirm this.
• The practice’s uptake for the cervical screening programme was 89%, which was above the CCG and national average of 82%.
• Appointments were available outside of school hours and the premises were suitable for children and babies.
• We saw positive examples of joint working with midwives, health visitors and school nurses.

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of older people.

• All older patients had a named GP.
• The practice offered proactive, personalised care to meet the needs of the older people in its population.
• It was responsive to the needs of older people, and offered home visits and urgent appointments for those with enhanced needs.
• Named GP's took the lead for the nursing and residential homes allocated to the practice. They each held a weekly clinic at the home incorporating medication and long term condition reviews along with regular appointments. They used laptops to record the consultations directly onto the patient record.

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of working-age people (including those recently retired and students).

• The needs of the working age population, those recently retired and students had been identified and the practice had adjusted the services it offered to ensure these were accessible, flexible and offered continuity of care.
• The practice was proactive in offering online services as well as a full range of health promotion and screening that reflects the needs for this age group.

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people experiencing poor mental health (including people with dementia).

• 74% of patients diagnosed with dementia who had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is below the national average of 84%.
• 87% of patients experiencing poor mental health had their care reviewed in a face to face meeting in the last 12 months, which is comparable to the national average of 88%.
• The practice regularly worked with multi-disciplinary teams in the case management of patients experiencing poor mental health, including those with dementia.
• The practice carried out advance care planning for patients with dementia.
• The practice had told patients experiencing poor mental health about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• The practice had a system in place to follow up patients who had attended accident and emergency where they may have been experiencing poor mental health.
• Staff had a good understanding of how to support patients with mental health needs and dementia.

Updated 13 July 2016

The practice is rated as good for the care of people whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

• The practice held a register of patients living in vulnerable circumstances including homeless people, travellers and those with a learning disability.
• The practice offered longer appointments for those who needed them.
• The practice regularly worked with other health care professionals in the case management of vulnerable patients.
• The practice informed vulnerable patients about how to access various support groups and voluntary organisations.
• Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse in vulnerable adults and children. Staff were aware of their responsibilities regarding information sharing, documentation of safeguarding concerns and how to contact relevant agencies in normal working hours and out of hours.
• The practice liaised with a local voluntary service to provide access to healthcare for asylum seekers and refugees. Patient's who used the practice from this service told us the practice was welcoming and treated them as individuals.